Saudade
by W.M.Hunt
Summary: Saudade was once described as "the love that remains" after someone is gone. It is the recollection of feelings, experiences, places or events that once brought excitement, pleasure, well-being, which now triggers the senses and makes one live again. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing may never return.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters in the story._

_Hello all of you lovely people!_

_Yes, this is a new story from yours truly! It is not entirely an AU story, although it differs in the extreme from where the Twilight stories end up. It begins at the beginning of the book Eclipse and you will read in the beginning of this chapter that it is directly taken from Chapter Two of Eclipse. I recognize that this work is not my own and that it belongs entirely to Stephenie Meyer. I am only using it as an intro and example of where I differentiate from the plot line. It will be written in italics, and then once it gets to my own writing it will be in the regular font once again._

_I hope that you all enjoy this story as much as the other that I've written. Enjoy the chapter and Happy reading of my new story Saudade! _

_~W. M. Hunt_

**Saudade**

Chapter One

_Edward was long gone and he wouldn't be back until Charlie was asleep - he was probably out hunting or something to pass the time - so I was in no hurry to undress for bed. I wasn't in the mood to be alone, but I certainly wasn't going to go back downstairs to hang out with my Dad, just in case he thought of some topic of sex education that he hadn't touched on before; I shuddered._

_So, thanks to Charlie, I was wound up and anxious. My homework was done and I didn't feel mellow enough for reading or just listening to music. I considered calling Renee with the news of my visit, but then I realized that it was three hours later in Florida, and she would be asleep._

_I could call Angela, I supposed._

_But suddenly I knew that it wasn't Angela that I wanted to talk to. That I needed to talk to._

_I stared at the blank black window, biting my lip. I don't know how long I stood there weighing the pros against the cons - doing the right thing by Jacob, seeing my closest friend again, being a good person, versus making Edward furious with me. Ten minutes maybe. Long enough to decide that the pros were valid while the cons were not. Edward was only concerned about my safety, and I knew that there was really no problem on that count._

_The phone wasn't any help; Jacob had refused to answer my phone calls since Edward's return. Besides, I needed to see him - see him smiling again the way he used to. I needed to replace that awful last memory of his face warped and twisted by pain if I was ever going to have any peace of mind._

_I had an hour probably. I could make a quick run down to La Push and be back before Edward realized I had gone. It was past my curfew, but would Charlie really care about that when Edward wasn't involved? One way to find out._

_I grabbed my jacket and shoved my arms through the sleeves as I ran down the stairs._

_Charlie looked up from the game, instantly suspicious._

_"You care if I go see Jake tonight?" I asked breathlessly. "I won't stay long."_

_As soon as I said Jake's name, Charlie's expression relaxed into a smug smile. He didn't seem surprised at all that his lecture had taken effect so quickly. "Sure, kid. No problem. Stay as long as you like."_

_"Thanks, Dad," I said as I darted out the door._

_Like any fugitive, I couldn't help looking over my shoulder a few times while I jogged to my truck, but the night was so black that there really was no point. I had to feel my way along the side of the truck to the handle._

_My eyes were just beginning to adjust as I shoved my keys in the ignition. I twisted them hard to the left, but instead of roaring deafeningly to life, the engine just clicked. I tried it again with the same results._

_And then a small motion in my peripheral vision made me jump._

_"Gah!" I gasped in shock when I saw that I was not alone in the cab._

_Edward sat very still, a faint bright spot in the darkness, only his hands moving as he turned a mysterious black object around and around. He stared at the object as he spoke._

_"Alice called," he murmured._

_Alice! Damn. I'd forgotten to account for her in my plans. He must have her watching me._

_"She got nervous when your future rather abruptly disappeared five minutes ago."_

_My eyes, already wide with surprise, popped wider._

_"Because she can't see the wolves, you know," he explained in the same low murmur. "Had you forgotten that? When you decide to mingle your fate with theirs, you disappear, too. You couldn't know that part, I realize that. But can you understand why that might make me a little . . . anxious? Alice saw you disappear, and she couldn't even tell if you'd come home or not. Your future got lost, just like theirs._

_"We're not sure why this is. Some natural defense they're born with?" He spoke as if he were talking to himself now, still looking at the piece of my truck's engine as he twirled it in his hands. "That doesn't seem entirely likely, since I haven't had any trouble reading their thoughts. The Blacks' at least. Carlisle theorizes that it's because their lives are so ruled by their transformations. It's more an involuntary reaction than a decision. Utterly unpredictable, and it changes everything about them. In that instant when they shift from one form to the other, they don't really even exist. The future can't hold them. . . ."_

_I listened to his musing in stony silence._

_"I'll put your car back together in time for school, in case you'd like to drive yourself," he assured me after a minute._

_With my lips mashed together, I retrieved my keys and stiffly climbed out of the truck._

_"Shut your window if you want me to stay away tonight. I'll understand," he whispered just before I slammed the door._

_I stomped into the house, slamming that door, too._

_"What's wrong?" Charlie demanded from the couch._

_"Truck won't start," I growled._

_"Want me to look at it?"_

_"No. I'll try it in the morning."_

_"Want to use my car?"_

_I wasn't supposed to drive his police cruiser. Charlie must be really desperate to get me to La Push. Nearly as desperate as I was._

Chewing on my lip vigorously I looked down at my feet. My fingernails dug into the palms of my hands as I clenched them into fists, anger roiling within my body at how Edward had acted. I was a grown woman. I did not need babysitting. I did not need someone to tell me that I could not go and see my friends. He had left me and now he was telling me what I could and couldn't do?

Yes, I understood that Alice couldn't see me, but I had spent months in the company of Jacob and I had never been afraid of him… Could I say the same about all of the Cullens? I mean. So far they had a worse track record of wanting to kill me than the wolves did.

With my resolve strengthened by my anger I came back to the real world aware that Charlie had been staring at my irate face while I'd had my inner musings.

"You know what… Yeah. I'll take your car," I said in a low voice. Charlie didn't say anything, but nodded to me, his eyes still on my face.

"I'll be back soon," I said to him, turning out of the living room and swiping the keys to the cruiser from their place in the key bowl, while dropping the ones for the truck inside. Walking back out into the dark I practically sprinted to Charlie's car and jumped inside. Jamming the keys into the ignition I started the car with a low rumble and glanced around wildly to the forest behind the house. I half expected Edward and Alice to run out of the cover of the trees and attack the car before I got it out of the drive, but nothing happened.

Breathing heavily I backed out of the driveway and turned down the street, going a bit faster than I was normally used to. The cruiser seemed touchier than the truck. Although that wasn't all too hard to believe considering the truck was absolutely a piece of junk. But it was still my piece of junk.

As I drove a light drizzle started to come down on the car and I took the turns as fast as I dared to. I wouldn't put it past Edward to jump onto the top of the cruiser before I reached the La Push borders. However I wondered how he would have me explain the dent he would undoubtedly leave on the roof from his body.

Slowly my thoughts trickled towards Edward, and I cringed at what he would say to me tomorrow morning. Maybe he wouldn't even come to my bedroom tonight because he would be so upset. But surely I was in my own right to go and see my best friend if I wanted too? Right?

I wasn't doing anything wrong.

Jake was my best friend. He was my Sun.

The one that had held me together and tried to fix me when my entire world had crumbled in front of my eyes.

And I had to fix this. No matter what Edward said. No matter the fact that Alice couldn't see me when I went to La Push. The pack would never hurt me. That was a fact that I was positive of.

While my thoughts drifted I registered that the rain had begun to fall harder on the car.

Turning on the windshield wipers I tried to focus on the road, however my thoughts kept pulling back my attention.

Maybe I should just have stayed home. Being in bed with Edward was a very appealing option. And I could always just go and see Jake another time maybe? It wasn't worth it if Edward would be upset over this. I knew that Jake would forgive me at some point. He had to. He'd told me that I was his best friend. We'd been through so much… He wouldn't just walk away from that? Not when I explained to him how much he and Edward meant to me…

As my mind started down that path of thoughts I had finally crossed over the La Push boundary and a relieved sigh left my mouth. Smiling slightly as I turned a sharp corner, I was shocked to see that a large deer was standing directly in the middle of the road. As if in slow motion, every single movement registered in my head.

Without thinking, I wrenched the wheel to the side, trying to avoid the deer. As the car veered towards the steep incline on the side of the road, I slammed my foot on the brakes, however with the heavy rain, the car slipped along the asphalt. Hurtling towards the guard rail, I watched with horrified eyes, and a pounding heart as the metal bent and caused the car to flip over it.

It was at that point that everything seemed to speed up out of whatever slow motion my brain had put me into. The car lurched violently over the side. Spinning through the air, my head swung forward with impact as the car rolled down the steep incline and smashed into a tree at the bottom, leaving the car on it's side.

The airbags had deployed and were shoved into my face while the window to my left that was pressed into the ground was shattered. My eyes were bleary as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.

_I should get out of the car._

_I should get some help._

_I should get back up that hill._

_I need to get to Jake's house._

_Charlie will probably worry about me._

_Jake will probably worry about me too._

The thoughts swam around in my head, but they made no progress as they seemed to be swimming in a thick syrup. I couldn't seem to move my hands to unbuckle myself and I could still hear the drumming of the rain on the side of the car.

I wanted to close my eyes. Something hot and thick dripped over my forehead and I turned to see dark liquid dripping onto the dirt and broken glass. Belatedly I realized it was my own blood, but I could not find the strength within my body to will it to move.

I just wanted to close my eyes.

They were just so heavy.

I just wanted to close my eyes.

And so, I did.

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_If you'd like to let me know how you liked the first chapter, leave a comment. Thank you for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters in the story._

_Hello there! Thanks to everyone who dropped a review! I'm so happy to read comments from familiar people! You guys are the best! Here's the next chapter, and as always, happy reading!_

Chapter Two

Jacob Black was running the midnight patrol.

In fact, he'd been running patrol patrol for over forty eight hours.

His level of anger was so high that he found it difficult to phase back into his human form.

The others found him volatile, and for the most part had kept to themselves. Well, physically at least.

Jake could still hear their thoughts about him, though they tried to hide them. It was one of the reasons why he was savoring the fact that Jared was a little late to his post. That meant he had to endure less of his brother's thoughts on her.

The whispers about the Cullens. About Bella.

Jake viciously snarled out loud as the memories assaulted him. She had chosen that _mother fucking leech_.

After _months_ of her being alone, as soon as that Cullen bitch showed up, Bella had forgotten every single agonizing minute those assholes had put her through. It made him sick.

He could not stand the idea that she had thrown every minute they'd spent together back in his face. As if it hadn't meant anything to her that he'd been the one to be there for her. It was his garage they had spent long days in. Listening to music and fixing the bikes. It was him that had fucking saved her after she'd jumped from that cliff.

Jake's heart clenched at that thought. Despite how angry he was with Bella, he could not deny that the thought of what could have happened had he not seen her jump into the water, tore at his soul. A world without Bella Swan was something he could not bear the idea of.

He was in love with her. With his entire heart and soul.

And everyone knew it.

Well… Everyone except for Bella.

It was as Jake was thinking her name that his nose caught her scent.

Digging his paws into the moist, loose earth he came to a halt in the middle of the forest.

That couldn't be right.

Sniffing the air again, Jake realized this was no mistake. There was no way he would have mistaken Bella's scent. It was something that was permanently ingrained in his mind. Slightly earthy, but soft and feminine, with her own sort of musk. It was addictive. And it was here.

Following his nose, Jake jogged through the dripping trees. The storm from earlier in the evening had passed on leaving everything a soaking mess.

As he walked through the quiet, dark forest, Bella's scent began to get stronger. But that was not the only thing he could sense any longer.

The scent of blood hung heavily in the air.

Panic gripped Jake's heart and his paws moved faster underneath him as he rushed through the trees. Taking a turn around a thick clump of pines, he saw it. Chief Swan's cruiser was dented and flipped on its side against the bent trunk of a tree at the base of an incline. And Jake knew that Bella was inside.

Instinctively, Jake let out a loud, long howl that pierced through the silence of the night.

Walking around the car, Jake sniffed the air and further confirmed that Bella was inside the crashed vehicle. Whining, Jake impatiently waited for one of his brother's to phase so that he could tell them to alert the Chief, and the authorities.

Finally Sam's mind entered Jake's.

_What's wrong?_ Sam's deep voice asked. Jake could see that Sam was running through the woods behind his home with Emily.

_Sam. I need you to phase back and call the police and Charlie Swan. Bella's here in the police cruiser… She's been in an accident. It's really bad, Sam…_ Jake's voice was a pained whimper as the older boy witnessed Jake's memories of finding the car.

_Jake, you have to phase and get her out of there. I'll tell the others that-_ Sam's voice was cut off as Jake waited no longer and phased to his human form. The anger was no longer in his body. It had seemingly left him in a single gust as soon as the worry for Bella's safety had taken over.

Rushing to the front of the car, Jake peered in through the windshield and saw Bella's limp form, still buckled into her seat. He could hear her faint breathing, but the scent of blood was still thick in the air. He had to get her out, however with the car tipped on it's side it was going to be difficult, though that wasn't going to stop him.

Moving behind the car, he put his hands on the dented roof, and shoved as hard as he could. From behind him he heard a yelp. Turning his head he saw Leah's wolf loping up to the scene with Sam right beside her. He didn't have to say anything as the two wolves jogged over to where he stood and pushed their heads against the car, attempting to flip it over. It didn't take long with the help of the three shifters and with a large jostle, the car creaked into it's righted position.

Jake barely noticed that Sam had phased into his human form as he wrenched open the driver's door and gathered the tiny, fragile body of the girl he loved into his arms. There was blood, both fresh and dried into her hair on the side of her head, and though her breathing was shallow, at least she was _alive_.

"We have to get her to the border, Jake… Dr. Cullen will be able to help her," Sam's voice was cautious as he spoke. Jake knew that he was trying not to upset Jake anymore than he had been. But as Jake stared down at the pale face of tiny, beautiful Bella Swan, he couldn't think of anything but getting her the best help she could get. And that undoubtedly meant the care of Dr. Cullen.

Jake nodded numbly, and started walking up the steep hill. He barely registered Sam saying that he should put some clothes on before going to meet the Cullens, who had already been called. In that moment his nudity did not bother him. There were silent tears that soaked his hot cheeks, and there was nothing that was going to stop him from getting Bella to good hands. He caged the fragile, limp body against his warm chest and focused on her light breathing and the fact that he could still hear her heart beat. She was still here with him. He just had to make sure that she stayed here.

At the top of the hill Jake walked back down the road. He noticed that the guard rail had been smashed and dented where the car had hit it. The lump in his throat from the idea of Bella being so hurt made him want to throw up. And at the same time, a blinding hot rage filled him at the idea of her being so alone and terrified after such a terrible trauma.

The border was not far, and as he got closer, the tell-tale stench of leech seeped into his nostrils. An unconscious growl rose from his throat and he clutched Bella tighter to him, ever careful of her delicate state. After coming around the last bend he saw one car and three Cullens all standing around, toe to toe at the treaty line. Oddly enough, Jake noticed through his haze of protection, Edward Cullen was not among them.

There was Dr. Cullen who looked concerned and eyed Bella in his arms, as if he was trying to diagnose her from twenty feet away. There was the shortest leech, that Bella had called Alice. The one that had taken Bella to Italy only a few weeks ago. The one that had ruined any chance of Bella ever becoming his. And the last leech was the tall, curvy blonde one who looked as if she'd rather gouge her own eyeballs out than have to be anywhere near the reservation.

"Jacob?" Leah's voice came from over his left shoulder.

He hadn't realized that he had come to a stop a few yards from the treaty line, and hadn't moved for a long moment. Startled, Jake shook himself from his thoughts and stepped forward, his precious bundle still in his arms.

As he stepped up to the boundary line, Dr. Cullen matched him. The two female vampires looked on with slightly narrowed eyes, completely ignoring Jacob's nudity. Jake thought that they must wonder if they would have to have a fight for Bella.

"You have to help her," Jake managed to choke out around the lump in his throat the tears still stained his cheeks. He noticed in the corner of his eye that the blonde vampire had given him a strange look, though he did not question it at the time.

"I will do everything in my power to make sure she is okay, Jacob. But we can't waste anymore time," Dr. Cullen said earnestly, maintaining eye contact with his unnerving golden eyes. Jake managed a nod and looked down at Bella. His arms were shaking slightly, but it had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to phase. Uncaring that there was an audience, Jake leaned down and pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead.

"You have to come back to me, Bells. You have to come back," he whispered brokenly. His tone was one of desperation, and had he not been so focused on the tiny human in his arms, he would have noticed that the blonde female was giving him an unrecognizable look. Her gaze locked on him with something akin to disbelief in her usually emotionless eyes.

Finally Jake held out his arms and passed the limp form of his Bells to Dr. Cullen. In barely enough time to see it happen, Dr. Cullen had passed Bella to the female named Alice and they had all jumped into the shiny black mercedes.

The car peeled away with a screech, speeding back the way it had come and away from Jake.

Inside of Jake's chest it felt as though his heart had been ripped clean out of his chest. A gaping wound now was left directly in his center as the thoughts began to assault him. A brief flashback of how Bella would wrap her arms around her chest when she was reminded of the bloodsucker played in his distraught mind. What if he was too late? What if she was gone forever? What if they changed her? What was she doing on the reservation to begin with?

The last question left Jake feeling more sick than he had been previously. Leaning over to his side the contents of his stomach left him, and he heaved for air. For a moment he felt entirely weak and human again. He knew that Bella had been coming to see him. He knew her. And maybe if he'd replied to her calls, or notes then she wouldn't have been out last night.

"Jake… Don't do that to yourself. It will make it worse," Leah said softly, her hand coming to rest on Jake's naked shoulder. Jake vibrated as he turned around and snarled at the half naked female.

"And what would you know about it!" he spit out from between his teeth, eyes narrowed at Leah Clearwater. And then at once it hit him what he'd said, and while he waited for Leah to explode and tear him apart, she did nothing of the sort.

"Just don't do that… It will only make it worse," she replied in a quiet voice. It was a voice that Jake had barely ever heard from her since she'd phased. But he had no time to ponder it as she turned and walked away, back down the hill.

"The other boys are tipping the car back into it's original place… To fabricate the scene since the car was tipped back over. After that the police will be called and told them exactly what had happened. Jake found her, and called Dr. Cullen to rush her to the hospital. Is that clear?" Sam said but Jake still was unable to answer in words. The thought of losing his tiny, brown eyed Bella terrified him more than he could express.

"Jake, let's go. We'll go to Emily's tell everyone what's happened and then you are allowed to go to Forks. I know you want to find out what's happening," Sam said softly, though his tone still left no room for argument. Jake did not respond as he turned and walked off of the road back into the cover of the forest. He understood that Sam knew that Jake was the person to make a rash decision in this decision more than any of the other boys. But Jake did not feel angry or as if he had a reason to storm in and prevent the Cullens from intervening. Bella had trusted them, and he knew, even if it was in a sick, demented way, that they loved her. They wanted her to be alright.

They wanted to keep her safe, just like he did. Though he could not imagine any person in the world caring more for that fragile, broken little girl he had helped become her own person again.

Bella Swan was _his_ girl.

And he knew that she would always be his girl, in this world, or the next.

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_If you'd like to, leave a comment. Thank you for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters in the story._

_Hey everyone! Sorry about the delay! School is winding down and I am seriously buried in a pile of work! Although the summer is almost here which will mean (hopefully) daily morning updates! yay! I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, Happy reading!_

Chapter Three

It had been one in the morning when Jacob had made it to the Forks Hospital.

Both Embry and Quil had volunteered to go with him, although Jake was sure that Sam had ordered them to keep an eye on him.

The three of them had burst through the entrance to the hospital and marched straight up to the front desk. They had actually put on clothes, if not clothes that seemed too small for them, and the shoes on Jake's feet pinched uncomfortably, but his mind was entirely centered on Bella. The woman at the front desk looked very confused as her wide eyes took in the three enormous native boys standing before her.

"Where is Bella Swan, I need to know how she's doing," Jake's voice was slightly breathless, though that was impossible for him since his transformation. The woman was shaken from her daze and her eyes were cast down for a moment. Another nurse behind the desk quickly called their attention.

"Miss Swan is still in surgery with Dr. Cullen. I'm sorry I can't tell you how long they will be in the OR. Her father is in the waiting room for the patients under operation, just around the corner. But I'm afraid that I can only let one other person be in there," the nurse said, pointing down the hallway to their right.

"Go ahead, Jake. We'll wait out in the other waiting room for you," Quil said in a quiet voice. Jake didn't need to be told twice and the took long strides down the hall, taking the turn and finding the door marked as the OR waiting room. Opening the door, his eyes landed on the hunched over form of Chief Swan.

He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a half untucked shirt with his flannel jacket thrown over his shoulders. His head was down, and with Jake's superior hearing he could hear the slightly hitching breath of someone who had been crying. Remorse flooded through him like a tidal wave as he walked forward and laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"Chief?" Jake's voice came out sounding much more broken than he had thought it would and Charlie's head lifted to look at the younger man. His eyes were rimmed in red, and tears had glazed over his gaze.

"She's still in surgery, Jake…" Charlie's voice cracked, and it seemed as though he could not continue his conversation. Jake nodded, swallowing back his own tears as he took a seat next to the distraught man.

He'd known Charlie his entire life. He looked up to him just as much as he looked up to his own father. And for as long as he'd known him, Jake could never remember Charlie being an emotional man. He could joke and laugh with Billy, and get excited over a baseball game, but even Billy had made comments to his son about how Charlie would flounder when it came to showing affection for his teenage daughter.

And yet, here, sitting beside him it was agony to see how much he cared for his only daughter. The love that was inside of him was tucked away, but there was no denying that it filled his heart entirely.

"The nurse at the front desk told me…. How are you?" Jake asked slowly. Charlie cleared his throat softly and ducked his head down again.

"I let her use my car tonight… Her truck wouldn't start and I could tell how badly she wanted to go and see you… Maybe if I had just let it go…" Charlie drifted off and Jake put his hand back on Charlie's shoulder.

"There is nothing that you could have done. It was Bell's decision to use your car. From what I could tell it was just an accident…" Jake's throat closed up as the memories of the mangled car entered his mind. The small pale body of Bella in the driver's seat with her hair matted in blood. Scrunching his eyes closed, Jake clenched his fists and tried to stop shaking.

"They told me that you were the one to find her… Was she… I mean…" the loss for words did not stop Charlie from giving Jake an intense look.

"She was unconscious and bleeding from the head… Sam called the Cullens and I passed her off to Dr. Cullen. I'm sorry I couldn't have done more," Jake said softly.

"You found her, Jacob. If you hadn't and she had been left out there all night I bet that we wouldn't even have the chance we do right now. You did just fine, son," Charlie said in a stern voice, though it was still a bit rough from crying.

Jake nodded and in that moment felt impossibly young. He felt like the sixteen year old that he was. The possibility of losing his best friend and in her, the only girl he'd ever loved, was much too real. It sucked away any bravado he'd gained from the banter Bella would indulge him with about what their true ages actually were. He was still just a kid, that was caught up in a web of the supernatural, unable to find a way out.

"I have to ask, Jake… What were you doing out there at midnight, anyway?" Charlie asked in a more calm voice after a very long silence between them. Jake drew in a breath and looked Charlie in the eyes. They were the same eyes that Bella had only a shade lighter.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Chief… Can we leave it at that for now?" he asked in a slow voice. He could not go against the wishes of Sam and the Council about telling people outside of the pack aside from imprints. He had to ask his father first, and have the council grant him permission. But Jake knew that if Bella had figured it out, then Charlie certainly could have his suspicions.

"Alright, Jake. I trust you," Charlie said and the two men lapsed back into silence. Sitting there in the start white waiting room, just sitting and waiting for the doctor to appear with any kind of news. Just then there was a slight commotion outside and the hair on the back of Jake's neck stood up as the scent of leech wafted towards them. Shouting escalated and both Jake and Charlie had stood up as the door was shoved open and in stormed a murderous looking Edward Cullen.

Immediately Edward's eyes snapped to Jake's face and Jacob repressed the urge to phase instantaneously.

"You fucking mutt! I told Bella not to go to the reservation tonight, and you're the reason why she's hurt now! You're the reason why she's so conflicted lately. This is all your fault!" Edward growled angrily as he glared at Jacob. Jake took a step forward so that he towered above the leech, not scared in the slightest by the pitch black eyes and bared teeth.

"Listen you pretentious asshole, I didn't tell her to do anything, unlike you. Bella is perfectly capable of making her own decisions and she can go see whoever the fuck she wants! Now why don't you get out of her ass, and this hospital!" Jake rumbled at the shorter boy.

Edward hissed, almost like a cat, "I'm the one that is her boyfriend, I have more right to be here than you do! Some kind of lost puppy that trails after her when it's clear that she's already made her decision to be with me!" he shouted.

"Shut the fuck up, Cullen! You have no idea what you're talking about! Don't forget who it was that picked up all of the goddamn pieces after you left her for dead in the fucking woods!" Jacob nearly roared, making a couple of nurses flood into the room with stern looks on their faces.

"What is the problem here gentlemen? Chief, do you want us to escort these boys out?" Asked a male cop that followed in after the nurses. He was giving the two teenage boys a hard look, although he looked as though he definitely did not want to get between them.

"There are only two members of family to the patient allowed in this room," a nurse reminded and Charlie nodded.

"Jake, you can stay. Edward, you're going to need to leave," Charlie finally said, and that seemed to snap Edward Cullen out of his murderous rage, and alerted him to the fact that Bella's father was sitting only a few feet from him.

"But, Sir… I-" Edward began but was cut off from Charlie.

"I said that I'd like you to leave," the older man said in a tired voice, and after straightening his shoulders, Edward Cullen left as swiftly as he had come. Though, not before sending Jake another murderous glare that was equally matched.

When the nurses had finally left and Jake's trembling had calmed down, he sat back in his seat beside Charlie. It was silent for a long time between the two men. Jake was still irate from the nerve of Cullen to barge in here, acting as though Bella's situation was solely his fault. To act as though he was her savior. It put a bad taste in Jake's mouth.

Not to mention he was terrified of what Bella was going through. His heart felt as though it was squeezed by a boa constrictor. Tightening every time he drew a breath without knowing how she was doing. He could not remember loving someone more deeply than he loved Isabella Swan.

The way she would sing under her breath, slightly off key to the radio in his workshop while he'd worked on a car. How she'd lean into his body, looking for warmth that only he could give to her. How they would talk for hours about everything and nothing, and never run out of things to say. The way she bit her lip when she was nervous, or how a little pucker between her brows would appear when she was angry. Her scent which was a muted mixture of the wildflowers that grew on the mountains he patrolled, freshly fallen rain and the salt of the ocean that his people had lived on for centuries. Her chocolate hair that seemed to have a soft russet hue in the sunshine.

She was everything to him.

And the thought of her leaving him was something he could not bear.

"How long has Cullen been ordering Bells around?" Charlie asked quietly.

"Since she first got involved with him, Chief," Jake answered immediately.

"And is it true that he left her in the woods?" Charlie's voice wavered for a minute at the memory. Jake clenched his fists at the reminder of Sam's mental image of Bella curled in on herself laying on the forest floor.

"Yes," he said simply, unable to manage anything else.

Charlie did not ask anymore questions. And together the two men sat in the waiting room in silence, waiting for news. Either good or bad.

And then finally, after almost two more hours of waiting, doctor Cullen pushed through the door.

Jake and Charlie both shot out of their seats, looking at the Cullen.

"How is she?" Charlie breathed out quickly, his eyes shimmering slightly.

"She will live, Charlie," Carlisle said quietly and Jake heard the whoosh of air leave the Chief's lungs in relief.

"But?" Jake prompted, seeing the worried look in the vampire's eyes. Dr. Cullen looked at Jake with a serious expression.

"She will live, but we cannot say when she will wake up. We have repaired the damaged bones and made sure that her bleeding has stopped. However, with that kind of trauma to her head, we are unsure of how much damage her mind has sustained…"

Dr. Cullen paused and looked down at his shoes. The intensity of his next words made both Jake and Charlie set on edge.

"Your daughter will live, Charlie, but I cannot tell you that she will wake up."

* * *

_Sooooo... Some good and bad news, eh? I'm not too sure how long this story will be... Probably not as long as Write and Wrong, but who knows! With my imagination, no story is ever truly complete! Leave some feedback if you'd like too, and I will see you all (hopefully) soon! _


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